Both Konan and the plant nin were shocked by the sudden ear-shattering scream, and with a jolt they realized who it was coming from. "Hanaki?" As Konan called out for her and glanced around, she seemed a little more frantic than Zetsu could imagine her ever being. But then again he had no room to be any sort judgmental.

Anxiety sparked in his chest like ice that quickly spread through his blood. You're not seriously worried about the runt are you? Oh, and you're not asking yourself that? his white side countered. The argument abruptly stopped there as he heard the scream again. "PANDAAA!" Panic was clearly evident in her voice, and this time he was able to pinpoint where it came from. Quickly turning around, he saw Hanaki being forcedly dragged off by some shady-looking man and she couldn't get away. Zetsu couldn't explain why, but the sight itself made him furious.

Without a second thought he charged across the street, Konan close behind. When the man saw him coming he snatched up Hanaki and ran, but she kicked, screamed, and flailed so much he dropped her and faltered in his step. It slowed him down enough the plant nin reached out and snagged him by the vest collar midstride. Gasping in shock, now the stranger was struggling to escape. He pulled a kunai from a pocket in his vest and tried to spin out of Zetsu's grip to attack. Before he could, Zetsu wrenched the weapon from his hand and threw him into the sandstone wall, his head now slightly above Zetsu's as he was held in place by a death grip to the throat. A loud crack reverberated through the alley. And it wasn't just from the stone.

Blood trailed from the man's head and speckled the wall behind him. A moment of silence passed, and when the dust settled Zetsu was glaring at him with so much anger the atmosphere began to crackle. "You're dead meat, you kidnapping bastard."

Despite the terror in his eyes, the man grinned maliciously. Apparently he didn't have much trouble staying composed in the presence of potential enemies. "It's not kidnapping if no one wants her," he sneered.

The plant nin paused and narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about? What do you know about her?"

"Like it's any business of yours, two-toned freak."

At the insult, he severely tightened his grip on the man's throat. "Tell me, before I rip your head from your body," he growled.

He choked. "Alright! Alright!" With a cruel glint in his expression he looked at Hanaki, who had run to hide behind Konan near the center of the alley. "I was only supposed to keep an eye out for the brat…just in case," he struggled to say. "Never thought she would actually still be alive."

"So what if she is?" Konan asked from where she stood, her eyes narrowed. "What has she done that designates her, a child, as your target?"

"Oh, nothing yet that I know of," he replied with a smirk. "That's why I have my orders to do something before she does."

Zetsu fought back the urge to tear the expression right of the man's face. "Orders? From who?" he prompted.

"Even if I knew who, or why for that matter, I wouldn't say a damn thing to you about it." The man grimaced, his voice straining as the plant nin tightened his grip again. "But…my orders are to…get rid of the brat!"

Another wave of ice swept through him, and he felt his eyes widen. Zetsu already figured Hanaki had been left to die in the forest, but it never occurred to him that someone would have wanted her dead so badly they hired a hit man to be on constant watch in case she lived. There's nothing that could possibly be enough reason for such extreme measures. The very idea someone would think otherwise made both his black and white sides fume. Clenching his white fist around the kunai he took from the stranger, Zetsu scowled. He took a glance toward Konan to catch her attention. The message in his eyes was clear. 'You're call.'

The co-leader merely blinked and her already hostile expression hardened as she turned her gaze toward the man. "So…" she asked. "You have no idea, whatsoever, why you were sent after her?"

"Tch," he scoffed. "I already told you, I don't know a damn thing, hag!"

Zetsu suppressed a laugh threatening to erupt from his throat. He shouldn't have said that. As if to confirm his thought, Konan sent the man a vicious glare. "Then that makes you dispensable," she said mercilessly. Finally. That's just what I was waiting to hear, his white half agreed.

Instantly his eyes widened and the color in his face drained from fear. But before he could so much as protest, Zetsu acted first. He jammed the kunai into a vital point below the man's chest, making him holler and cough up blood. The wound was deep and would end his life in hardly a minute. Nonetheless, the plant nin's black side felt the need to add insult to injury and say exactly what was on his mind. Bringing the stranger to eye level, he spoke lowly. "Too bad. I'd eat you if scum like you didn't make me sick." And just like that he dropped him to the ground, the kunai still lodged in the now-dead body.

When he turned and started walking back toward the front of the alley, Zetsu didn't have to see Konan's questioning expression to know she was wondering if that statement was completely necessary. And he didn't feel obligated to answer in any way, as he had focused on Hanaki and paused while he stood a few feet away. He wanted to make sure she was alright. He noticed she had a few scratches on her hands from falling, but that wasn't what worried him.

She had a terrified look in her eyes as she continued to hide behind Konan. She glanced at the dead man, and then she looked back at Zetsu and her eyes widened when she saw his white hand, which was covered in blood. It didn't take a genius to realize her fear was directed toward him.

Zetsu had to process the thoughts going through his head. The whole week-and-a-half of her constant clinging and bubbly attitude toward him, Zetsu realized he changed her perspective of him by killing in front of her. Now she was seeing him as a monster. The feeling stung, but he attempted to trick himself into believing it didn't because it shouldn't. After all, he was an Akatsuki member. Things like this shouldn't matter to him. Someone is his position had no business being around children in the first place. He felt stupid for thinking otherwise.

After a moment he started forward again. So that's that, he thought as he passed them to go out of the alley. Perfect, now the runt will leave us alone. Don't lie. I can tell you're not as excited as you sound. So what if I'm not? Then shut up, his white side responded sharply. He wanted to get off the subject as soon as possible and just forget about it. There was no point in dragging it out. His black side was right. The sooner she was gone they would be better off.

"Uh-Hanaki!" The sound of running footsteps followed Konan's protest. He already guessed she was running off again, but out of a twinge of habit he wanted see what was going on anyway. Before he could turn completely around he felt a weight practically crash into him from behind and he stumbled, grunting with the effort to catch his balance. Zetsu was shocked when he looked down at what ran into him. It was Hanaki. She had her face buried in the fabric of his cloak, and she had her arms tightly wrapped around his leg.

His eyes widened. What in the-? She began to whimper loudly, cutting off his thought process. "I-I s-sorry…" she stuttered. He tried to move, but Hanaki held on as if for dear life. "I-I sorry!" she wailed in a strangely pleading tone.

Konan shrugged when he looked to her for some sort of answer. What the blazing hell is going on? his black half practically shouted. Isn't she afraid? I…I don't know… Suddenly the plant nin had no idea what to think. His mind drew one blank after another. He knew he wasn't imagining how scared she looked after what happened a minute ago, so why was she still clinging to him? It didn't make any sense!

Several minutes seemed to pass, and when Hanaki showed no signs of letting go, Zetsu sighed heavily and bent down and picked her up. It was the first time he noticed how violently she was trembling. At first he couldn't tell whether or not he was the cause of that, but then Hanaki dug her fingers into the collar of his cloak and buried her face in his shoulder. Ever so slowly her trembling began to subside. This time, his black half didn't complain at having her so close. He glanced at Konan when she walked up. "I really don't understand…" he admitted.

Gently rubbing a hand over the toddler's back, she said, "Well…then don't try to. Let's just focus on getting back to the base before nightfall."

"Right…" Since he had Hanaki in his arms, Konan had gathered the toy bear and the wildflower flower, which she handed to him. After examining it, he knew it was the reason she wandered off in the first place. The flower's weakened voice told him that too. So this whole mess was caused by what started as her good intentions, he noted. Actually, he likely would have done the same thing, minus being sought out by a hired killer.

"P-panda…?" As Konan handed her the bear Hanaki lifted her head, sniffing and rubbing her eyes, which were red and watering. She's actually trying to keep from crying. "…um…" As they started toward the gate of the village, Zetsu realized she had something on her mind and was having difficulty finding out how to say it. Normally he would have prompted her to hurry up and get on with what she was trying to say, but he waited patiently for her to come to it on her own. "Wha's 'parents' mean?"

Talk about an out of the blue question. Where do you think she got that from? Pff. Like I'd know. "Well….Konan?"

She chuckled under her breath, obviously at the fact he passed the baton. "A parent is someone like a mother or father. Of course, they also take care of you." Zetsu knew she was referring to Hanaki's apparent abandonment. It would have to be something they discuss, as well as the hit man incident, either in the morning or at least when they get back to the base.

"Oh," she said. She was quiet for a long time after that, not saying anything as they left the village. At some point, she hugged her bear and the wildflower close to her, laid her head on Zetsu's shoulder, and fell asleep.